Today's blog offerings contain a wealth of information from some top minds that will guide current and prospective law students on decisions such as where to go to law school or what specialty to pursue. Here's a roundup:

More Expensive Law Schools Won't Necessarily Guarantee A Top Job -- Despite most law schools' obsession with their rankings in U.S. News and World Reports , this system offers incomplete information to law students deciding where to attend law school, argue Professors William Henderson and Andrew Morriss in this extensive piece, "What Rankings Don't Show." Armed with empirical data, Henderson and Morriss show that schools with impressive local and regional reputations have better employment outcomes for students than higher-ranked law schools. Even better, many of these regional schools offer financial aid or scholarship packages, making them a bargain from a financial perspective. And by graduating with less debt, students can more readily opt for less immediately-lucrative options, such as starting a law firm or working for a public interest group -- without feeling strapped by debt.

Best Paths to White Collar Criminal Lawyer -- If you're interested in practicing white collar criminal law, Biglaw may not always be the best option right out of law school, suggests Professor Ellen Pogdor at White Collar Crime Profs. Other options include Department of Justice Honors Program, the FBI, state attorney generals' offices or smaller firms that specialize in white collar criminal practice.

What Are the Best Future Practice Areas? -- Sun Microsystems GC Mike Dillon offers some advice to a 3L who asked about future opportunities in the law during this economic downturn. Dillon says that perhaps the best area is intellectual property law, a field rife with new and interesting developments.

Should Law Students Get an MBA? -- Prospective law students may want to consider tacking on an extra year of education and get a joint JD-MBA degree, advises Julie Hilden in this Findlaw piece. Hilden gives five key reasons to consider an MBA, including mastering business skills that will help run a law practice and learning how to act with business people whom you may eventually represent in your practice.

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The Blogosphere's Advice for Current and Prospective Law Students

Today's blog offerings contain a wealth of information from some top minds that will guide current and prospective law students on decisions such as where to go to law school or what specialty to pursue. Here's a roundup:

More Expensive Law Schools Won't Necessarily Guarantee A Top Job -- Despite most law schools' obsession with their rankings in U.S. News and World Reports , this system offers incomplete information to law students deciding where to attend law school, argue Professors William Henderson and Andrew Morriss in this extensive piece, "What Rankings Don't Show." Armed with empirical data, Henderson and Morriss show that schools with impressive local and regional reputations have better employment outcomes for students than higher-ranked law schools. Even better, many of these regional schools offer financial aid or scholarship packages, making them a bargain from a financial perspective. And by graduating with less debt, students can more readily opt for less immediately-lucrative options, such as starting a law firm or working for a public interest group -- without feeling strapped by debt.

Best Paths to White Collar Criminal Lawyer -- If you're interested in practicing white collar criminal law, Biglaw may not always be the best option right out of law school, suggests Professor Ellen Pogdor at White Collar Crime Profs. Other options include Department of Justice Honors Program, the FBI, state attorney generals' offices or smaller firms that specialize in white collar criminal practice.

What Are the Best Future Practice Areas? -- Sun Microsystems GC Mike Dillon offers some advice to a 3L who asked about future opportunities in the law during this economic downturn. Dillon says that perhaps the best area is intellectual property law, a field rife with new and interesting developments.

Should Law Students Get an MBA? -- Prospective law students may want to consider tacking on an extra year of education and get a joint JD-MBA degree, advises Julie Hilden in this Findlaw piece. Hilden gives five key reasons to consider an MBA, including mastering business skills that will help run a law practice and learning how to act with business people whom you may eventually represent in your practice.